The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-07-14
NOTES FROM A DIARY.
LETTER NO. 3. |

The arrest of five of the most prom
inent citizens of Lura stirred up the
Con ederate government at Ric .mOnd
and jeff Davis issued u special order
outlawing the b O.V. c. The special
wrath seemed to be directed toward
the late Gen. VIM. Stedman, of this
place, (Randolph) who, if captured,
was not to be treated or recogu. Il I'd as
prisoner of war, but to be dealt with
in summary manner.
July ~, word came that our men at
Lura were having trouble with u small
force of rebs and bushWheckers, who
were lowering around i'll that neigh
borhood. no. u day or night passed but
shots were exchanged. Several of our
men were wounded and several taken
prisoners, one wagon and Quarter
master sergeant captured fIom cur
regiment. Our men took quite
number of prisoners.
July u, we were ordered to Sperry-
vile to assist the Provost Marshall IN
executing an order issued by General
Seigle, requiring all male Inhabitants
within the lines of his army to take
| the cath of allegiance. We arrested
large number of eiIizens and brought
them before the Provost Marshal at
Sperryville, where all but eight took
the oath. After the removal of our
army from Sperryville special order
was issued from the confederate gov
ernment absolving all citizens who
had taken the oath, on account of its
| being done under cOmpufsiOn. We
| found the Inhabitants around Sperry-
vile suffering for the necessaries of
life. There was not store anywhere
! in that country !; they had no salt, no
| anffao nina npadlpa
thread, buttons, nothing. They could
get no cloth, they paid from ten 10
twelve dollars pair for shoes, from
fifteen to twenty dollars for boots
| Very strict orders were issued that no
private citizen or property should be
molested, unless by 0rGer of the COM
| nanding officer. But houses were
broken open and pillaged, women IN
suited and outraged, and everything
either carried off or destroyed. Here
we began to realize the horrors of war.
At this time we had q number of men
| sick, and Church building was inn
| provised for hospital. Some wheat
straw that had not been threshed was
spread upon the floor and blankets
spread upon this, and the sick laid in
rows and cared for as best We could
under the circumstances.
| August 8th we received marching
orders. We went as far as Sperryville
and there halted, with orders to re-
main until Col. Lloyd with his forces
at Luray passed, and then to act as
rear guard to our army. This delayed
us until about midnight on the 9th.
| We destroyed what commissary stores
we're left 10y our army, then proceeded
| to Culpepper, where we arrived just
at shutdown. The battle of Cedar
Mountain had been fought that day
aud many of the wounded were at
Culpepper, among them Lieut.. Reed,
of The TIN U. V. L. He was from
RoOtstown. Quite number OF men
from Atwater or Deertield were either
killed or wounded in this battle. On
arriving at Culpepper we were ordered
to the front, and that night took mp
our position on the battle field, in
front of Seigle's batteries. where we
remained until daylight next morning
when we were drawn up III line OF
battle, but no demonstration was made
by the enemy, who sent in flag of
truce, and the day was devoted to the
burial of the dead. On the 18th Jack
son quietly withdrew his forces, going
towards Gordonsville, and We quietly
followed him as far rs the Rapadan,
not in hot pursuit, as Was claimed by
newspaper correspondents at the time.
We were relieved of detached duty at
Cedar Mountain, and reported back to
our company under command of Capt.
| Bartlett, who had been detailed with
his company to act as provost guard
under Gen. Robinson, who was the
Provost Marshal of Pope's Army.
/ mote Much has been said about
the manner of the escape of the rebel
army after the battle of Cross Keys.
Mai. VIM. Stedman, of 9th o. V. T..
was the bearer of a dispatch from Gen.
Fremont to the forces under General
Shields, ordering them to burn the
bridge in Jackson's rear. This dis.
patch he claims was duly delivered to
the proper officer the night before the
battle. The failure to burn Une bridge
! we mark as blunder No l, and the re-
moval of Gen. Fremont as blunder
Mo- w. H. B.